


Friend D8

by AltUniverseWash



Series: Forever After [10]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternative Epilogue, Earth C (Homestuck), F/F, Forgiveness, Friend Date, Friendship, Gen, Other, Platonic Female/Female Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Self examination, Trans Female Character, Trolls (Homestuck), Walking, relationships, self hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23134894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AltUniverseWash/pseuds/AltUniverseWash
Summary: Jade Harley and Vriska Serket take a nighttime walk after seeing a movie together and open up about feelings.A short platonic relationship fill story set in the middle of my alt-epilogue timeline.(this is set after "The Case Files of Dr. June Egbert MD PhD Esq. (volume 1)" and before "In Golgotha's Shadow")
Relationships: Jade Harley/Vriska Serket
Series: Forever After [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1664167
Comments: 6
Kudos: 15





	Friend D8

**Author's Note:**

> If you haven't read the previous work in the Forever Cycle and Survivors Support Club, this might feel a bit confusing. It's not really essential to have read those to enjoy this, but it certainly helps. Also, if you like this piece I would strongly suggest you check out the rest of the pieces in the series!

It was just after ten at night, but the New Carapacia Shopping Plaza and Spendatorium was lit by dozens of electric lamps that burned all along the sidewalks. Jade Harley walked down the concrete path with Vriska Serket, the two of them taking the meandering pace of those who were simply out for the pure enjoyment of it without anywhere they needed to be.

“I’m pretty sure that John McClane didn’t actually dress up as Santa in the original movie,” Jade was saying, her face lighting up as she laughed. “It was just a joke line, but they really took it and ran with it.”

Vriksa grinned. “Oh, what about the part where Hans Gruber just says ‘noooo’ a bunch of different ways for five fucking minutes. Also his name changes to  _ Hand Grudder _ for the second half of the movie and no one even fucking notices!”

Jade put a hand over her face, giggling. “I thought the improvised rap battle at the end was a bit much. Dave was really messing with the Carapacians when he told them about that. I didn’t think they’d actually put it in.”

“Please,” Vriska snorted. “They’ll pretty much take anything literally when it comes to human culture. I don’t know what it is they love so much about your movies, but they’re pretty fucking gullible.”

Jade laughed again and the two friends lapsed into silence, continuing their slow stroll down the pathway. Despite the late hour, the Spendatorium still had quite a few Carapacians walking around, enjoying the pleasantly warm night air. There were a few trolls as well, usually in pairs or small groups.

Most of the shops they passed were run by Carapacians, but they were intended to cater to a wide variety of tastes. Seeing a small stand selling popcorn, Vriska slowed and put a hand out.

“Hey, I’m gonna get some of this. You want some, Harley?”

Jade shook her head and Vriska shrugged.

“Okay, suit yourself.”

She handed the Carapacian working the stand a crumpled bill and took the popcorn. The Carapacian waited a moment, then handed the bill back and waved cheerfully.

“That still takes some getting used to,” Jade said. “I don’t even know why they bother with the money – it’s completely unnecessary.”

Vriska tossed a piece of popcorn in her mouth and crunched down loudly. “Eh… fuck it. It makes them happy to mimic that piece of human culture too. I think I’ve given that same dollar to about twenty Carapacians today.”

“You know we could just alchemize all the popcorn you want.”

“Sure, but what’s the fun in that?” Vriska grinned and ate a handful of the popcorn. “It’s kind of like… I dunno… kind of like role-playing as a normal human with a normal life, you know?”

They walked further down the path, past the end of the shops proper and into an expanse of greenery that had been carefully arranged to provide a pleasant place to sit. A wide staircase led down to a central fountain surrounded by an open space lined with benches, bushes, and small trees. The lighting was subdued, being primarily provided by faint streetlights fashioned after old-timey gas lamps. There was no one here – the Carapacians were extremely social creatures in general and would typically stick to the more crowded shopping center during the later hours.

“You wanna sit for a while?” Jade asked. She started towards a bench and Vriska nodded and followed. They sat together, Jade leaned forward with her head propped on her hands and Vriska leaned back, munching on the popcorn.

Silence fell over them – the faint sound of the fountain and the wind provided a natural ambiance that Jade found immensely comforting. In the distance, they could hear the faint bustle of the Carapacians enjoying their night.

_ Kind of like role-playing as a normal human with a normal life. _

She’d sounded… sad, almost. Jade stared at the fountain.

“Vriska?” She asked. Vriska  _ hmmm _ ’d through a mouthful of popcorn.

“Do you wish you could’ve had a normal human life?”

“What a weird question, Harley!” Vriska laughed, but it sounded forced. Jade sighed, heavily – the silence between them came in again and sat there. This time, it felt less comfortable – more oppressive. Only the sound of Vriska chewing punctuated the quiet.

“Yeah…” Jade started to speak but cut herself off.

After a moment, she heard the crunching of popcorn stop.

“Oh god… I’m so sorry.”

“What?”

“I didn’t mean to get like this.”

Jade sighed. “Forget it… I’m sorry, I was being rude…”

She felt a hand touch her shoulder and turned to see Vriska looking at her. The troll’s eyes were watery and her face scrunched up like she was trying very hard not to cry.

“Jade… I’m sorry. I wanted to do this thing with you – this friend date. I didn’t mean to drag it down like this.” Vriska was sounding distinctly unlike Vriska in that moment.

Jade smiled and shook her head. “You didn’t drag anything down, it’s fine.” – Vriska didn’t look any less like she was about to cry.

“I’m not the same person you all thought I was when I came back,” she said, softly. Her hand was clutched on Jade’s shoulder – at this point it looked more like she was doing it for support as much as to reach out to a friend.

“I mean, I know about the whole black hole thing,” Jade said, but Vriska shook her head.

“I still can’t really describe that experience. How  _ different _ I feel. I feel, I guess…”

She paused – she was clearly searching for the words. Jade reached out and placed her hand over Vriska’s, squeezing slightly. Vriska smiled at this.

“I feel like my life was put on pause. Like I went in and I came out and time had passed… but also it hadn’t. And even though I was the same age and it kinda felt like I’d just picked up after, I also felt like a completely different person. Like…” She motioned with her free hand, vaguely, twirling it around and wiggling her fingers.

“Like I was just kind of given a new personality in some ways. And I try to be… me? I try to keep the stuff that people think I’m about – being a total badass and being the greatest and all that shit…”

She trailed off and moved her hand back off of Jade’s shoulder. Vriska clasped her hands together and held them in front of her face.

“But inside I guess I kinda feel both like I’m a thousand years old and nineteen. All at the same time, if that makes any kind of sense. And…”

Vriska’s eyes were watering up more now and she was starting to cry.

“And I just wish I could’ve lived some kind of normal life. Not like on Alternia with all the culling and death, and not like I did with the game. Just… going to the movies and hanging out with my friends and being a normal fucking person.”

A small sob pushed its way out of Vriska’s throat and Jade wanted more than anything to give her a big hug.

“Jade… I’m sorry…” This really was very un-Vriska-like of her. But that wasn’t exactly true anymore. What was Vriska-like had changed. A lot.

“Vriska,” Jade said softly, leaning in towards the troll. “It’s okay to not be okay with what you went through in the past. It’s normal to wish things were better… I do that all the time.”

Vriska looked into Jade’s eyes and Jade found herself wondering what exactly it was that she was thinking.

“I know that,” Vriska said with a half-smile. “But that doesn’t change anything. It feels like I had so much time to think through all the regrets – even if it doesn’t register in the way you think it might.”

“It’s part of who you are now.” Jade looked at Vriska, seeing the troll’s eyes narrow slightly. “I don’t mean that in a bad way – just that what you went through in the black hole is part of who you are. You’re a different person than we remembered, and that’s okay. We just had to realize that too.”

Jade sighed and moved closer, putting her arms out to hug Vriska. She waited, and when Vriska nodded slightly she moved forward and enveloped Vriska in her arms, her fluffy black hair pressing up against the troll’s nose and making her sneeze softly.

“I was so scared when I saw all those visions from other timelines,” Jade said. “All the things that could’ve been or would’ve been or… maybe never should’ve been at all. I always felt like someone was taking away some essential element of who I was – like they were robbing me of my volition. It took me a long time to accept that those visions were part of who I was and that I could either accept that or keep fighting forever and feel like I wanted to die.”

Vriska sniffled. “I don’t feel like I want to die. I just wish things had been… better. I wish  _ I _ had been better.”

“I know you do,” Jade said, drawing Vriska in a little closer. “But you’re here now. You’ve got people that care about you and love you. We’re here for you, and we understand that you’re being sincere. All of us are.”

Jade let go of her hug and sat back a little, looking into Vriska’s eyes. The troll was still crying a little, but she was smiling through it.

“I just don’t want you to hate me. I’m so worried that you’ll hate me…”

And this was something Jade still wasn’t used to: seeing Vriska Serket open like this. For the entire time Jade had known Vriska, she had projected an aura of absolute confident certainty at all times. She was the one who knew what was going on and how to get stuff done. She was self-assured and capable. She was truly invulnerable.

Looking at the quietly tearful woman across from her, Jade realized something. The Vriska she thought she’d known was, at least in part, an act. It was a careful combination of attitude and distance that formed the social armor that had protected Vriska from the realities she’d had to face every day. How much must it have hurt to have that armor peeled back, piece-by-piece, until there was nothing left but whatever essential core of Vriska remained? She was truly vulnerable.

“Vriska… we love you. You’re our friend. We’ve all been through so much… I think that we’re all allowed to just kind of  _ live _ now, okay?”

“Make up for lost time?” Vriska asked, her voice quaking slightly. “Like June… just living to live?”

Jade shrugged. “What else are we gonna do? We’re all immortal now. Wasn’t a thousand years of self-loathing enough for a while?”

Vriska looked up toward the dark night sky – there was a smile on her face. “I wish it was that easy… to just stop feeling like this.”

Jade leaned over and placed an arm around Vriska’s shoulders. “Yeah, me too. It never is. But that’s okay – you’ve got lots of people that love you and care about you. And maybe sometimes it’ll be harder than other times, but we’re all going to be there for you. You’ve got partners that all love you so much, and friends that care about you.”

She squeezed Vriska lightly and Vriska laughed – the sound was clear, somewhat musical, and completely genuine.

“Okay. I guess I can live with that, Harley.”

The two women, both goddesses in their own right, sat leaning against each other for quite a while longer. Neither of them said anything – they both seemed to sense that to do so would break the pleasant spell that they existed under in that moment. And so they savored that moment for as long as they could.

And when it was time, they got up and walked away together as the sound of their footsteps and pleasant conversation faded into the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated! I will respond to comments if possible!
> 
> Check me out on Twitter: @AltUniverseWash and tumblr: transkanayamaryam.tumblr.com


End file.
